2023 Colorado Buffaloes football team explained

Year:	2023
Team:	Colorado Buffaloes
Sport:	football
Conference:	Pac-12 Conference
Short Conf:	Pac-12
Record:	4–8
Conf Record:	1–8
Head Coach:	Deion Sanders
Hc Year:	1st
Cooff Coach1:	Sean Lewis
Cooc1 Year:	1st
Cooff Coach2:	Pat Shurmur
Cooc2 Year:	1st
Off Scheme:	Multiple^[1]
Dc Year:	1st
Def Scheme:	Multiple
Stadium:	Folsom Field

The 2023 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado Boulder as a member of the Pac-12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the program's 13th and final year in the Pac-12 before they rejoined the Big 12 Conference in 2024. The Buffaloes were led by first-year head coach Deion Sanders. They played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

Preseason

Spring game

The Colorado Buffaloes spring game was held on April 22, 2023 at Folsom Field. The 2023 spring game sold out for the first time since 1996 and was the highest attended spring game to date in program history with 47,277 in attendance.^{[2] [3] [4]} The game was televised nationally by ESPN and was the only spring game to air on the main network.^[5]

Schedule

The Colorado Buffaloes and the Pac-12 announced the 2023 football schedule on January 18, 2023.^[6]

^[7]

Game summaries

at No. 17 TCU

See also: 2023 TCU Horned Frogs football team.

Statistics	COL	TCU
First downs	30	27
Total yards	565	541
Rushes/yards	34–55	37–262
Passing yards	510	279
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	38–47–0	24–42–2
Time of possession	34:33	25:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado	Passing		38/47, 510 yards, 4 TD
Rushing	Sy'veon Wilkerson	13 carries, 45 yards, TD
Receiving		5 receptions, 135 yards, 3 TD
TCU	Passing		24/42, 279 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing		14 carries, 164 yards
Receiving	J. P. Richardson	6 receptions, 63 yards

vs Nebraska

See also: 2023 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry.

Statistics	NEB	COL
First downs	15	23
Total yards	341	454
Rushes/yards	41–222	33–58
Passing yards	119	396
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	11–22–1	32–44–0
Time of possession	29:41	31:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Nebraska	Passing		9/15, 106 yards, INT
Rushing	Gabe Ervin Jr.	17 carries, 74 yards
Receiving	Billy Kemp IV	5 receptions, 57 yards
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	31/42, 393 yards, 2 TD
Rushing	Dylan Edwards	9 carries, 55 yards
Receiving		10 receptions, 170 yards, TD

vs Colorado State

See also: 2023 Colorado State Rams football team and Rocky Mountain Showdown.

Statistics	CSU	COL
First downs	23	23
Total yards	499	418
Rushes/yards	39–102	25–70
Passing yards	397	348
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	35–48–3	38–47–1
Time of possession	34:37	25:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado State	Passing		34/47, 367 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing	Kobe Johnson	15 carries, 54 yards
Receiving		16 receptions, 133 yards, TD
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	38/47, 348 yards, 4 TD, INT
Rushing	Dylan Edwards	10 carries, 57 yards
Receiving	Xavier Weaver	9 receptions, 98 yards, TD

at No. 10 Oregon

See also: 2023 Oregon Ducks football team.

Statistics	COL	ORE
First downs	13	30
Total yards	199	522
Rushes/yards	25–40	38–240
Passing yards	159	282
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23–33–0	30–35–1
Time of possession	24:54	35:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	23/33, 159 yards, TD
Rushing	Anthony Hankerson	5 carries, 31 yards
Receiving	Xavier Weaver	9 receptions, 75 yards
Oregon	Passing		28/33, 279 yards, 3 TD, INT
Rushing		10 carries, 89 yards
Receiving		8 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD

vs No. 8 USC

See also: 2023 USC Trojans football team.

Statistics	USC	COL
First downs	26	32
Total yards	498	564
Rushes/yards	25–95	45–193
Passing yards	403	371
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	30–40–1	30–45–1
Time of possession	27:55	32:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
USC	Passing		30/40, 403 yards, 6 TD, INT
Rushing		13 carries, 88 yards, TD
Receiving		8 receptions, 117 yards, TD
Colorado	Passing		30/45, 371 yards, 4 TD, INT
Rushing	Anthony Hankerson	16 carries, 74 yards, TD
Receiving		7 receptions, 196 yards, TD

at Arizona State

See also: 2023 Arizona State Sun Devils football team.

Statistics	COL	ASU
First downs	19	25
Total yards	295	392
Rushes/yards	30–56	29–57
Passing yards	239	335
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	26–42–0	32–50–0
Time of possession	25:12	34:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	26/42, 239 yards, TD
Rushing	Anthony Hankerson	10 carries, 58 yards
Receiving	Javon Antonio	5 receptions, 81 yards, TD
Arizona State	Passing		32/49, 335 yards, TD
Rushing		13 carries, 49 yards, TD
Receiving		12 receptions, 134 yards

vs Stanford

See also: 2023 Stanford Cardinal football team.

Statistics	STAN	COL
First downs	30	32
Total yards	523	532
Rushes/yards	39–124	35–132
Passing yards	399	400
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	28–49–0	33–47–1
Time of possession	34:42	25:18

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Stanford	Passing		27/45, 396 yards, 4 TD
Rushing	Ashton Daniels	16 carries, 39 yards
Receiving		13 receptions, 294 yards, 3 TD
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	33/47, 400 yards, 5 TD
Rushing	Shedeur Sanders	13 carries, 37 yards
Receiving		13 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD

at No. 23 UCLA

See also: 2023 UCLA Bruins football team.

Statistics	COL	UCLA
First downs	20	26
Total yards	242	487
Rushes/yards	24–25	45–218
Passing yards	217	269
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	27–43–0	20–28–2
Time of possession	26:46	33:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	27/43, 217 yards, TD
Rushing		2 carries, 14 yards
Receiving	Xavier Weaver	5 receptions, 86 yards
UCLA	Passing		20/27, 269 yards, 2 TD
Rushing	T. J. Harden	20 carries, 78 yards, TD
Receiving	Logan Loya	7 receptions, 111 yards

vs No. 16 Oregon State

See also: 2023 Oregon State Beavers football team.

Statistics	OSU	COL
First downs	25	15
Total yards	418	238
Rushes/yards	46–195	19–-7
Passing yards	223	245
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12–25–0	24–39–0
Time of possession	35:58	24:02

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oregon State	Passing		12/24, 223 yards, 1 TD
Rushing		21 carries, 115 yards
Receiving		3 receptions, 69 yards
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	24/39, 245 yards, 2 TD
Rushing	Sy'veon Wilkerson	4 carries, 17 yards
Receiving	Travis Hunter	8 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD

vs No. 21 Arizona

See also: 2023 Arizona Wildcats football team.

Statistics	ARIZ	COL
First downs	22	18
Total yards	421	339
Rushes/yards	27–207	30–88
Passing yards	214	262
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	21–35–0	22–35–0
Time of possession	24:50	31:48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arizona	Passing		21/35, 214 yards, 2 TD
Rushing		11 carries, 179 yards
Receiving		9 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	22/35, 262 yards, 2 TD
Rushing	Shedeur Sanders	13 carries, 29 yards, 1 TD
Receiving	Xavier Weaver	5 receptions, 84 yards

at Washington State

See also: 2023 Washington State Cougars football team.

Statistics	COL	WSU
First downs	15	23
Total yards	255	469
Rushes/yards	41–91	32–127
Passing yards	164	342
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12–27–1	20–33–0
Time of possession	29:25	30:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado	Passing	Shedeur Sanders	6/10, 86 yards, 1 TD
Rushing	Sy'veon Wilkerson	13 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD
Receiving	Travis Hunter	4 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD
Washington State	Passing		18/30, 288 yards, 2 TD
Rushing	Nakia Watson	8 carries, 47 yards
Receiving	Josh Kelly	6 receptions, 130 yards

at Utah

See also: 2023 Utah Utes football team and Rumble in the Rockies.

Statistics	COL	UTAH
First downs	13	22
Total yards	262	329
Rushes/yards	17–37	53–268
Passing yards	225	61
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–25–0	6–10–0
Time of possession	20:56	39:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Colorado	Passing	Ryan Staub	17/24, 195 yards, 1 TD
Rushing	Sy'veon Wilkerson	7 carries, 32 yards
Receiving	Travis Hunter	8 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD
Utah	Passing	Luke Bottari	6/10, 61 yards
Rushing	Jaylon Glover	17 carries, 107 yards
Receiving	Mikey Matthews	2 receptions, 19 yards

Personnel

Recruiting class

Transfers

Outgoing

Maurice Bell	WR	Withdrew
Isaiah Lewis	S	Withdrew
Montana Lemonious-Craig	WR	Arizona
Taylor Upshaw	DE	Arizona
Jordyn Tyson	WR	Arizona State
J. T. Shrout	QB	Arkansas State
Xavier Smith	S	Austin Peay
Ty Robinson	WR	Ball State
Chase Penry	WR	Boise State
Deion Smith	RB	BYU
Kaylin Moore	CB	California
Jack Hestera	WR	Charlotte
Austin Johnson	OL	Charlotte
Zach Courtney	TE	Coastal Carolina
Chase Sowell	WR	East Carolina
Casey Roddick	OL	Florida State
Oakie Salave'a	DL	Hawaii
Aubrey Smith	LB	Houston
Devin Grant	DL	Incarnate Word
Mister Williams	ILB	Incarnate Word
Luke Eckardt	OL	Iowa Western Community College
Tyas Martin	DL	Jackson State
Mason Maddox	DL	Kent State
Joshua Wiggins	CB	Liberty
Victor Venn	RB	Liberty
Austin Smith	TE	Memphis
Tyrin Taylor	S	Memphis
Maddox Kopp	QB	Miami (OH)
Jalen Sami	DL	Michigan State
Seydou Traore	TE	Mississippi State
Dylan Dixson	S	Missouri State
Yousef Mugharbil	OT	NC State
Brendon Lewis	QB	Nevada
Travis Gray	OT	New Mexico
Edgar Amaya	OL	North Alabama
Zion Magalei	LB	Northern Arizona
Ashton Logan	P	Oklahoma
Jeremy Mack Jr.	S	Old Dominion
Kaden Ludwick	TE	Oregon
Nikko Reed	CB	Oregon
Jason Oliver	CB	Sacramento State
Tayvion Beasley	CB	San Diego State
Keyshon Mills	CB	SMU
Noah Fenske	OL	Southern Illinois
Aaron Austin	DL	Stephen F. Austin
Alex Harkey	OL	Texas State
Chance Main	EDGE	Texas State
Janaz Jordan	DL	Towson
Drew Carter	QB	UC Davis (basketball)
Jake Wiley	OL	UCLA
Cole Becker	K	Utah
Grant Page	WR	Utah State
Simeon Harris	CB	Utah State
Jackson Anderson	OL	UTSA
Owen McCown	QB	UTSA
Allen Baugh	DL	Valdosta State
James Mott	QB	Villanova
Na'im Rodman	DL	Washington State
Ryan Willams	DL	Western Kentucky
Nigel Bethel Jr.	CB	TBD
Shakaun Bowser	LB	TBD
Eoghan Kerry	OLB	TBD
Jayle Stacks	RB	TBD
Alvin Williams	EDGE	TBD
Jordan Woolverton	S	TBD

Incoming

Demouy Kennedy	LB	Alabama
Jahquez Robinson	DB	Alabama
Jace Feely	K	Arizona State
Juwan Mitchell	LB	Arizona State
Jordan Domineck	DL	Arkansas
Myles Slusher	S	Arkansas
Tavarish Dawson	WR	Auburn
Jaylen Ellis	WR	Baylor
Kareem Harden	OL	Butler Community College
Champion Johnson	RB	California
LaVonta Bentley	LB	Clemson
Shane Cokes	DL	Dartmouth
David Conner	OL	Florida
Omarion Cooper	CB	Florida State
Brendan Gant	LB	Florida State
Derrick McLendon II	DE	Florida State
Bishop Thomas	DL	Florida State
Travis Jay	CB	Florida State
Leonard Payne	DL	Fresno State
Alton McCaskill	RB	Houston
Jeremiah Brown	LB	Jackson State
Tyler Brown	OL	Jackson State
Willie Gaines	WR	Jackson State
Travis Hunter	CB/WR	Jackson State
Alejandro Mata	K	Jackson State
Jacob Politte	LS	Jackson State
Shedeur Sanders	QB	Jackson State
Shilo Sanders	S	Jackson State
Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig	S	Jackson State
Sy'veon Wilkerson	RB	Jackson State
Jack Bailey	OT	Kent State
Savion Washington	OT	Kent State
Kavosiey Smoke	RB	Kentucky
Vito Tisdale	S	Kentucky
Reggie Young	OL	Liberty
Mark Vassett	P	Louisville
Khairi Manns	DE	Maine
Arden Walker	DE	Missouri
Landon Bebee	OL	Missouri State
Gavin Kuld	QB	Northeastern Oklahoma A&M
Javon Antonio	WR	Northwestern State
D'Vion Harris	DE	Old Dominion
Chazz Wallace	DT	Old Dominion
Kyndrich Breedlove	CB	Ole Miss
J. J. Hawkins	DE	Ole Miss
Rodrick Ward	S	Southern Utah
Amari McNeill	DT	Tennessee
Jimmy Horn Jr.	WR	USF
Xavier Weaver	WR	USF
Sav'ell Smalls	DE	Washington
Jaylen Ellis	WR	West Virginia
Taijh Alston	DE	West Virginia
Marshawn Kneeland	DE	Western Michigan

^{[8] [9]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: ourlads.com . 2023 Colorado Buffaloes Football Depth Chart . September 28, 2023.
2. News: Snyder . Curtis . CU Black & Gold Day Spring Game Sold Out . University of Colorado Athletics . March 30, 2023.
3. News: Snyder . Curtis . Colorado Football 2023 Season Tickets Sold Out . University of Colorado Athletics . April 17, 2023.
4. News: Woelk . Neil . Buffs Deliver Prime Performance In Spring Game . University of Colorado Athletics . April 22, 2023.
5. News: Snyder . Curtis . ESPN To Air Spring Football Game As Part Of Black & Gold Day . University of Colorado Athletics . March 13, 2023.
6. News: Snyder . Curtis . Pac-12 Announces 2023 League Football Schedules . University of Colorado Athletics. . January 18, 2023.
7. Web site: 2023 Colorado Football Schedule. FB Schedules. December 21, 2022.
8. Web site: 2023 Colorado Football Transfer Portal . ON3 . en.
9. Web site: 2023 College Football Transfer Portal . 247Sports . en.